Outlaw Star: Final Closure
by Sleepingcatwing
Summary: This takes place after the events of outlaw star. Spoilers and a large Aisha content! Third part up!
1. Phantoms

Outlaw Star: Final Closure  
  
Not just the title of the story, this is also the end that I foresaw after the series finished up. Too many loose ends remained for it to have a feeling of completion and I have therefore sought to finish up where they left off. As always, all characters herein that share the name with a character from Outlaw Star actually is one. Any characters with new or original names... well check to make sure they aren't characters before you credit their creation to me. :P  
This story will have spoilers for those who have yet to finish Outlaw Star.  
  
  
Part 1: Phantoms  
  
Prologue:  
It has never been argued that the safest place to travel in space is along side the galaxy's most feared warrior race, the Ctarl Ctarl. That is as long as you are on the good side of these fearsome fighters. Needless to say, this feeling of safety had a deep calming effect on Aisha Clan-Clan, who lay asleep in her quarters of the vast ship the Noburu Boribori. However, deep space is known to have as many enemies in it as there are fish in the sea, and an even more powerful monster may lurk in its depths.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"How often does she have to sleep a day, anyway?" the heavily armed Darius muttered as he stood outside the private quarters of Ms. Clan-Clan.  
Rodergio just shrugged as he readjusted the patch on his arm indicating him to be part of the Ctarl elite. Darius scratched the back of his head angrily as he stared out a side window into the vast openness of space. The deep void was almost overwhelming. Men had been known to go mad from staring off into the desolate landscape due to the large feeling of depression that seemed to emanate from the quiet frontier's core. After waiting for the amount of time he normally did at this window he could begin to understand what he had seen as a weakness before.  
"I think my feet have fallen asleep..." Darius began to mutter.  
The door slammed open as Aisha strutted out with a wide smile on her face. Both of the guards gave a slight start due to the unexpectedly 'short' nap of their young commander.  
"I'm hungry enough to eat a whole school of fish." the female Ctarl sighed as she slowly made her way down to the dining quarters of the ship.  
Rodergio tapped her on the shoulder politely, "Lady Aisha, the emperor asked you to send him a message as soon as you woke up from your afternoon nap."  
Aisha dismissed the comment with a flick of her hand, "He can wait until I get a little food, I just can't report on an empty stomach!"  
Rodergio nodded, "As you say mistress."  
  
Half an hour later Aisha had polished off her light snack and was headed back to the bridge to speak with the Ctarl Ctarl emperor. Suddenly the red emergency lights flashed as the Noburu Boribori erupted to life. Ctarl Ctarl swarmed all over the decks seemingly without purpose as Aisha stubbornly fought her way to the bridge. She finally reached the bridge and staggered through out of the flood of her countrymen.  
"Lady Aisha! We're under attack!"  
"A pod of missiles has destroyed all of our offensive capabilities for the entire right side of the ship!"  
"5th and 6th engines are scrap! The others are barely functioning! We must've been struck with an electromagnetic pulse!"  
"Shut up!" She screamed over the din, "What is attacking us and where is it coming from!?!"  
Three Ctarl Ctarl started to respond at once but she silenced them with a wave of her hand.  
"Where? Show me now!"  
She looked expectantly toward the main screen of the ship as the picture slowly appeared. The golden ship was unmistakable.  
MACDOUGALL!?! Her mind screamed at her as she saw the ship that had plagued her and the other crewmembers of the Outlaw Star a year earlier.  
"The ship is hailing us Lady Aisha, I'm patching it through."  
The screen behind her desk buzzed to life with the smirking face of Ron MacDougall.  
"It's been a while, woman."  
"What are you still doing alive, Ron? Gene sent you to hell already!"  
Ron's scowl grew slightly darker, "I'm afraid not. A MacDougall doesn't die easily to a green kid like that. However Harry has a gift for your trouble back there."  
Aisha slammed her hands on both sides of the monitor as she snarled back at him, "Get away from this ship, you pig or I'll tear you apart for good!"  
He laughed back at her, "I'm sorry, but I'm coming aboard. I'll be seeing you soon..."  
The monitor winked out as the communication was cut and Aisha jumped back to attention.  
"Fire on that ship with everything we've got!" she demanded of her crew, "No one messes with the Ctarl Ctarl empire!"  
The bridge buzzed with activity as they slowly started to rotate the vast ship to an angle of attack. Suddenly the power went dead and the whole ship stopped.  
"A virus has infiltrated the systems!"  
"Then purge it!"  
"It's set itself into the base programs, we can't even reactivate the ship."  
Aisha dropped back into her chair rubbing her temples. She always was at a loss when she had to come up with an alternative to simply crushing her opponent. The ship suddenly lurched with the sound of grinding metal.  
"That came from the rear of the ship! Lady Aisha..."  
Before the pilot could finish his sentence the female was already sprinting back into the ship's deeper quarters.  
  
"Should I do it now, Ron?" Harry's digital voice inquired, throbbing with eagerness.  
Ron chuckled as he responded, "No, Harry, wait until I get back. I'm gonna have some fun with them first.  
He loaded up his Kaster with several more shells before he slipped into the boarding tube. The welcome sound of grinding metal echoed in his ears as he punctured the outer armor of the Noburu Boribori and he darted from the opening into the cargo hold. He crouched behind a crate as he calmly waited for his target to enter.  
"You're the first one Aisha..."  
  
"Why aren't they out here getting ready to charge?" Aisha screamed as she noted the silent halls of her ship.  
Rodergio responded quickly, "The doors are all electric Lady Aisha. They are strong enough to resist the strength of even ten Ctarl's so please don't blame them."  
Aisha huffed again before pushing on with her two bodyguards.  
"If they are all electric how do you suggest we get into the area of the breach?"  
"No problem with that, the cargo hold has never been covered with electronically operated doors. The bridge and the cargo hold were set up with the normal locks to avoid hacking into important parts of the ship."  
"Aren't all of the rooms important?"  
"Apparently not..." Darius muttered, "But we should concentrate on getting in there and killing this MacDougall or whatever you called him."  
"Your bloodlust never ceases to amaze me, Dar." Rodergio snickered.  
"Don't call me Dar."  
After a short walk, and a long argument about not being called Dar, the three Ctarl Ctarl reached the door to the hold. Aisha took point and opened the door quickly.  
  
Ron rechecked his shells to make sure they were all ready and smiled slightly to himself. No amount of preparation or recuperation would be able to assess whether he was up to snuff from his injuries at the Leyline. But confidence and surprise were on his side and he felt confidence in the fact that no one could best a MacDougall in a fair fight.  
  
Aisha sucked in her breath in surprise as her two companions dashed quickly into the room and immediately headed for the boarding tube the Sri Lanka had penetrated with. The idiots were completely giving away any hopes of catching the intruder by surprise and that could be a fatal mistake when dealing with the likes of the MacDougalls. After all, everyone knew that her race was immortal, not invulnerable.  
"Lady Aisha! There's no sign of the attacker, do you want us to fan out and search?"  
Aisha slapped a hand to her face in disgust. How could these two be members of the elite guards! Ron could still be right around the corner!  
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."  
Darius and Rodergio immediately went into defensive crouches when they heard the voice. Darius nodded to Rodergio and pointed to the corner of the room, who started to slink over in that direction. As he reached the area he dashed out of site. A sudden flash of light caught them all by surprise as the hunter's body flew back into the crates of food they had picked up when they stopped at Heifong III station earlier that week. Darius launched into action sprinting back to the same area.  
"Always fall for the same trick don't they?" Ron chuckled from behind Aisha.  
Growling at her own negligence she fell into a forward roll as Ron fired off a Kaster shell. It struck Darius who followed a similar path as his companion into another batch of cargo.  
Aisha sprang back to her feet with her teeth bared, "You just bite off more than you could chew..."  
Ron smirked at her, putting his Kaster gun back under his trench coat, "I don't think so. I've not planned this whole time to be killed the day I've come back to life."  
"I've heard enough!" The battle ready woman cried as she flung herself at the Outlaw.  
Ron easily dodged the lunge and drove his knee into her chin. As she straightened up he delivered a crushing elbow into her throat. She fell back gasping for air, and found that it was barely coming.  
At least he didn't crush my windpipe...  
Before she could catch her breath he was on her again with a hard hitting right to the face which sent her sprawling on the ground. She struggled to get back to her feet but he reached her first.  
He put his foot in her lower back and pulled her head up by the hair, "Harry wanted me to try this on you. I have to admit I'm also a bit interested in its possible effects." The MacDougall whispered into her ear, brandishing a small metal cylinder.  
"You... are.... dead..." Aisha growled at him.  
Ron smiled at her again, "You're wasting my time, we already went over this."  
She heard a click behind her head as the man pushed a button on the item. A hum of electricity filled the air and she felt her hair rising. Without warning she felt it jab into the back of her neck and it sent her whole body into painful convulsions. She screamed in pain for what seemed like hours, but was in fact mere minutes, before the horrible thing was removed. Her hair was released and she slumped to the ground unable to move. Her vision was blurry and she could hardly even keep her eyes open at all.  
"That was quite interesting, causing that much pain to a Ctarl Ctarl is quite impressive."  
Aisha started to curse him but fell unconscious.  
  
He knelt down and picked up the young catgirl, resting her head on his knee. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out his revolver and placed it to her chin.  
"Now you die, Aisha. Feel the flames that almost consumed me."  
He slowly squeezed the trigger hoping that her eyes would open and she'd see her own doom. Unfortunately she was too deep into unconscious. Darius was not however. As Ron was about to finish off his victim the large male slammed into him, sending the gun skittering across the floor.  
"Feel the power of my ancestors!" Darius screamed as he slowly started the transformation into his bestial state.  
Before he could accomplish this feat the MacDougall ran back to the tube, laughing, and returned to the Sri Lanka. He leaped at the tube but couldn't find a grip as it removed itself from the ship.  
"You bastard! How could I let him escape!" He growled at himself before he remembered Aisha.  
He sprinted back to his commander and gently probed her for any broken bones or wounds. He couldn't find any serious ones so he lifted her gently and headed over to his friend Rodergio. Luckily Rodergio was slowly getting back to his feet.  
"He tricked me with a voice-com... how embarrassing." he muttered as he rose.  
Sure enough a blasted communicator was sitting behind the crate that the voice had came from.  
"We must get Lady Aisha to the infirmary! We don't have time to speak of these events!"  
"I-infirmary? S-she was hurt!?" Rodergio choked as he took a look at the scene, " Let's get there fast!"  
  
The metal door slid open and Ron made his way back to the cockpit of the ship. Harry was on the screen waiting patiently for the report.  
"Did it work, Ron?"  
"Yeah, Harry, real well. It's a very useful device."  
Harry nodded smugly, "Everything I make is a useful device, brother. You should be aware of that."  
"Don't worry, I know that. I say it more out of habit now. Oh, would you blast that eyesore out of this life for me? You can use any weapon you'd like."  
"Hehe, you know me too well..." Harry laughed darkly, "I know just the weapon to do it with."  
  
"The power is still out, there's no way for you to get into the infirmary much less use anything in there. We're planning on sending out the escape pod to search for help in a nearby station." the ship's pilot told Darius when he returned to the bridge.  
"I'll go. Please get Lady Aisha comfortable in the pod. She may need treatment on arrival."  
He carefully passed her on to the older Ctarl and went over to speak with Rodergio.  
Rodergio noted his approach, "What's wrong with her? You have that look in your eyes."  
Darius sighed, "I'm bringing her with me in the pod to get help. I'm not sure but I think she may have cracked her collarbone. I'd also like a doctor's opinion on any damage I may not be able to find."  
"That's pretty serious. You want me to keep this place in order until you get back?"  
"Yeah, I want to bring you, but unfortunately that would only hinder our travel speed."  
A somber looking male walked up to the two of them, "I don't mean to worry you, but that ship out there isn't leaving."  
Rodergio scowled at the ship, "I don't like this. But anyway, isn't the escape pod electrically powered?"  
Darius nodded, "Yes, but it runs off it's own generator so it shouldn't be affected by the virus."  
The two of them shook hands.  
"Good luck and hurry back."  
  
"HAHAHA! Die!" A halcion missile flared into the larger ship, "Die!" another followed suit, "Die!!"  
The barrage ripped a chunk from the Noburu Boribori's hull and people, furniture and papers flowed out into the void. Another short barrage sent the rest of the ship into a wrenching spin, which tore itself in half.  
"Finish them off, brother, I've had my fun." Harry giggled, giving the control of the ship back to Ron.  
Ron pressed a series of buttons, which sent a spray of tiny bombs into the direction of the Ctarl Ctarl battleship.  
"Let's get out of here Harry, this place is going to get real messy real fast."  
The Shangra La turned itself and blasted back out across the skies into the darkness from whence they came.  
  
Her eyes fluttered open weakly, "Uhn... where...?" she coughed a little blood up.  
A strong hand held her down as she tried to rise. Unfocused eyes settled on the one barring her path but she couldn't make the person out. A flash of lights caught her eyes as she felt the ground she was on slowly drift away.  
"... Gotta... tell... Gene..." She managed to say before slipping back into the dark blanket of unconsciousness.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
End of part one...  
  
  
Author's Note: Yes, it is a little short, but I've never claimed to be able to make anything of any truly staggering amounts. I'd really love to get some reviews for this so that I know how to improve it and make the next part even better.  



	2. Bad Dreams

Hey, it's the second part of the series! On a side note I'd like to say thanks for the reviews so far, and a special thanks to Link of the Gorons. I didn't realize I had messed up the Shangra-La's name.  
  
  
Part 2: Bad Dreams  
  
Prologue: Mankind has eternally been at war with itself and with other races. Those who rise above the death and claim fame and glory are often referred to as legends. But those who rise from death to regain revenge are spoke of in fear-filled whispers or used as stories to frighten children. The MacDougall brothers have labored to achieve this notoriety, for as Machiavelli said, it is better to be feared than loved...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The whirlwind picked up intensity as the deadly Anten killer focused the entirety of his power on the lone tigress. The wind buffeted her senseless but she clung to her consciousness and managed to propel herself at him. She quickly slashed her claws and the wind stopped. She fell, half-alive, to the ground, reverting back into her normal state, and swiveled her head painfully to look.  
"I guess I'm through...." the wheezing man laughed as a cascade of blood came from his wounds and he fell dead.  
"Just save some of that dragonite for me, Gene..." she mumbled to herself before passing out.  
  
She blocked the double kick from Iragi, rolling with the force, before springing back with a tackle to the midsection. With her in the corner she drove a knee into the stomach and flipped her over. With surprising agility Iragi managed to keep her footing and backhanded Aisha into the post. A thunderous blow was delivered to her stomach and chin before she was tossed to the far corner. She could hardly think through the flashes of light that kept exploding in her brain...  
"C'mon, Aisha! I thought the Ctarl Ctarl were supposed to be invincible!" Gene shouted to her in an attempt to arouse her anger.  
Then she was being lifted up and her neck was rested on a rock hard knee.  
"This is normally where I'd let you off, but if you're one of Gene Starwind's friends..." Iragi lifted her massive elbow, "You're not leaving here alive!"  
Finally her mind cleared and she spun into a better attacking position, holding the woman's head with her feet.  
"You shouldn't talk so much when you're about to finish someone off!"  
"Go get her, Firecat!" Melfina cheered from the sides.  
Aisha twisted, dragging her opponent to the canvas, "Leave it to me!"  
The Ctarl Ctarl quickly sprang to her feet and dashed in to deliver a pile driver to her opponent, but was suddenly stopped by a kick to the chest.  
This isn't how it happened...  
As she staggered backward a right hook crashed into her temple and she was hurled back into the corner again. As she rose slowly she was set upon again. A knee to her face raised swelling, sealing her left eye as a simultaneous elbow cracked into her collar. Gasping for breath she fell to the canvas with a groan.  
"She's through, folks!" The announcer yelled into his microphone, raising Iragi's hand in victory.  
It didn't happen like this!  
"I can't believe it. You really are useless, Aisha." Gene spat as he turned his back and stalked away. Jim looked back before sighing and following his brother.  
"I'm... so-..." Aisha started to say as a tear appeared in her eyes...  
  
Darius held down his companion as she struggled in her seat. She started to mutter something and started to recoil as if she had been struck.  
"Lady Aisha! Please calm down, we're almost to the station!"  
She struggled harder before finally quieting down again. She then proceeded to sob gently.  
Darius cupped the side of her face, gently, "What are you dreaming about? Can it really be that horrible?"  
  
"You are by far the most incompetent creature I've ever had the displeasure of working with!" Gene shouted, venting his rage.  
"I'm sorry..." Aisha replied in a small voice.  
I-I don't remember this!  
He slammed his fist into the wall, "All of our money is wasted on feeding you! Damn it! Why did you ever have to tag along with us?"  
"Gene, I'm sorry, I'll try to eat less and help more..."  
"You just don't get it! I don't want your help! I want you gone!" His words echoed in the air as everything turned to black.  
"Please don't leave me! I hate being alone!"  
She fell to her knees in the darkness, reaching out a hand to the place the phantom had stood.  
A comforting hand fell on her shoulder, "It's all right..."  
The young voice brought a sniffle as she turned to see Jim. The boy was pale and he didn't say anything else, he just stood there. Aisha sniffled again before throwing her arms around him and crying openly. He patted her on the back as everything faded away, again.  
"It's ok, I'll never hate you..."  
  
"Let out the slack slowly! Your side's tipping too much!"  
"MY SIDE? It's your side there, Todd."  
The crane operator, Todd, slowed down his release while grumbling, "I can't believe this pod had to land in our work site..."  
Darius' felt his face flush with anger. How dare these lowly humans complain! They should be happy that their construction site was struck by an escape pod carrying a high ranking Ctarl Ctarl officer like the Lady Aisha! He quickly calmed though as he looked around at his surroundings. Despite the fact that there was truly no good reason (that he foresaw) for their anger, it might be best not to let it be known that he had been in that pod. Aisha needed medical attention and there was no time to haggle with these weak-minded fools about how much money he should pay for the damage. He quickly jumped the fence surrounding the area and carried his light charge into the empty streets.  
Before long a piercing voice caught him by surprise, "It's one of those monsters! It's killed a girl!"  
He dropped into a crouch, placing Aisha gently on the ground and glared around himself. His ears raised in a threatening fashion as he glared around the streets for the cause of the alarm. An old woman babbled as his gaze fell on her and she held a quivering finger out at him.  
"Somebody help! Somebody please!" she screamed.  
The quiet town suddenly sprang to life as armed citizens slowly started to come out of the buildings, treading with fear-filled footsteps. Growling at the growing mob, Darius began to swear to himself.  
Damn! Haven't these fools ever seen a Ctarl Ctarl before!?!  
He raised his arms to show that he meant no harm, "I'm no monster, I'm a Ctarl Ctarl, now leave me be!"  
Hushed whispers broke out in the crowd at his proclamation. Of course they rang loud and clear in the ears of a Ctarl Ctarl.  
"I didn't know they could talk!"  
"He called himself a Ctarl Ctarl?"  
"No Ctarl I've seen has ever looked like that!"  
The old woman that started the whole mess came to the front, emboldened by the crowd, "That girl just moved! She's alive, we must help her!"  
Darius scowled at the crowd as it began to flow forward. He would never be able to escape holding Aisha and he really had no intentions of leaving her to the crowd.   
His instincts finally over-rode his reason.  
I'm sorry, Aisha...  
He fell into his transformation and with his increased power leaped over the startled people's heads before running out of sight.  
  
"Care.ul...ta..ed...b.. m..ns...r... e's...ur..."  
She moaned slightly and fidgeted.  
"Docto...she's c..min...rou...d..."  
She opened her eyes a little and bright lights blinded her. She tried to talk but couldn't hear what she was saying. Something was holding her down but she tried to rise anyway.  
"Don't......her...up!"  
The buzzing from the awful device still echoed in her ears as she started to adjust to the world around here.  
That shock.... Oh yes! It was MacDougall who did it!  
Her sense of hearing cleared and she could hear over that buzz.  
"Can you hear me?" An elderly voice whispered in her ear, "Are you awake?"  
She nodded slightly with a grimace. Her neck ached for some reason...  
"Please stay down, you're not ready to move around yet."  
"Doctor, does this mean she'll recover?" A woman's voice inquired.  
"Easily. Just have the nurse keep her on that I.V. When it's through we'll see if the girl can move on her own."  
A cold, wet thing poked her in the side, raising a little giggle. She couldn't help the fact that she was ticklish after all.  
The woman's voice returned, "Garron, please take the dog back home, we don't need him jumping on her."  
A muttered response escaped her sphere of hearing as the owner of the dog left the room. Before she could wonder whom this Garron fellow was, a firm hand gripped her arm. It squeezed down painfully and she barely bit back a yelp of surprise.  
"This one looks like that male we chased off." The hard hand squeezed down tighter, "Are you sure we should be helping her recover instead of finishing her off?"  
The woman's voice was iron, "She was abandoned by that other one, and from what the doctor said it looks like someone had beaten her. As far as I'm concerned she's not one of them! They could've been the ones responsible for this for all we know!"  
"I'm still not sure..." The hand removed itself.  
"You've bruised her! Get out of here, you heartless jerk!"  
He bruised me? How is he strong enough to do that with just a grip? And why can I still not see!?!  
Aisha felt a surge of panic as she darted her eyes back and forth.  
Am I blind!?  
"Don't worry, dear, Doctor Hollontop said you'd recover soon enough."  
I may as well try to talk, maybe I can get some answers.  
She opened her mouth experimentally before launching into her sentence, "Where am I?"  
She almost laughed at her own voice. It was hoarse and barely intelligible, like she hadn't drank in days.  
"If you don't know that then telling you the name won't clear anything up." The woman laughed, "We're just a frontier planet, and not one of the ones on the map."  
"What's wrong with me?"  
There was a short pause before the answer, "The doctor wasn't sure how it happened, but your brains neural receptors have been temporarily overloaded. He said that it had to do with some electric shock of some kind. It's just like interference on the radio, it will clear up soon enough on it's own."  
Never known radio interference to hurt THAT much before.  
"He also told us to warn you about sleeping. This interference has apparently affected both halves of your brain. Your dreams are going to be very real, in a way too real. The parts of your brain that cause dreams and hold memory have had their natural restraints temporarily disabled. You'll be having dreams that are partly mixed from a memory or memories."  
I guess that makes sense...  
"I..." she started, but a hand closed over her mouth.  
"Don't overdue it. You've just woken up and it's best for you to remain inert a while longer."  
Inert? What the hell does that mean?? Well she's not telling me to be inert right now so I must be doing it.  
The door closed.  
"Hey! Where are you going!" She rasped, a futile attempt considering the door was soundproof anyway.  
  
"Ron! You're still alive!" Leo stammered as the man stalked into his room.  
"What a rat hole." Ron sneered as he glanced over the debilitated furniture, "How far have you fallen since the space race?"  
Leo sat down with a sigh, "Terry headed out with our ship into Kei pirate territory on a bounty he picked up. They found the wreckage not too far off from where he was supposed to start his planet fall. Happened about three months ago and I've been stuck here since. Without that ship I'm stuck doing thug work and crap jobs."  
"Any power changes I missed in the last couple months?"  
Leo shrugged, "As far as I can tell no, but that Starwind guy seems to have really struck gold down by Centinnel. I don't know what could be in a backwater dump like that."  
"Starwind's back on Centinnel?" Ron mused, Leo had more useful information than he would've expected. He walked around the room checking out the décor.  
"Yeah... but where have you been recently? Some guys have been coming around looking for you. Looked like the space forces to me."  
"What did you tell them?"  
Leo laughed, "What could I tell them? You hadn't been around for a while..."  
"How much did the forces offer you for information?" Ron demanded.  
"Ron, I'd never sell you out! You and Harry are friends!" Leo turned to look at Ron and froze.  
A tattered shirt was hanging from Ron's hand, the tiny black recording box the space forces had sewn into the material dangled in front of Leo's eyes.  
"Ron! I swear I didn't know about that! You and Harry are fri-" Leo stammered before a bullet silenced him.  
The gun slid into his coat as the body fell to the floor.  
"The MacDougall brothers have no friends."  
  
"I'm hungry."  
No answer.  
"I could really go for some food."  
No answer.  
"I haven't eaten for days!"  
Still no answer.  
I can't take it anymore!  
Aisha felt with her hands to make sure nothing was in front of her before she sat up. She tried to focus her eyes but they still just blurred anything they fell upon.  
I didn't think it had passed...  
She shut her eyes tightly before the blur made her nauseous and swung one leg out of the bed. She felt to make sure she was still dressed before she swung the other leg out. She carefully pulled the I.V from her arm and stood. She nearly fell over as her legs turned to rubber but she stubbornly stayed up.  
Damned if I'm gonna let this keep me from eating!  
She shuffled awkwardly to the door and searched for the knob. Her hand came into contact with it and she turned it. Aisha inched the door open and stuck her ear to the crack. Nothing was making sounds outside so she walked out, keeping one hand on the wall as she trekked down the hallway.  
"This is easier than I thought..."  
No sooner had she spoken than she fell down a short flight of stairs. She gasped in shock as the air was driven out of her but she quickly recovered and perked her ears to see if anyone had noticed. Luckily no one was there to see the bright red color her face had flushed with. Putting a hand on the wall she continued on her way before anyone came upon the scene. She caught the next flight of stairs and slowly made it down before reaching another door.  
"Where are the kitchens around here?" she muttered as she turned the knob.  
She took a step out and felt the crunch of gravel under her bare feet. She could also feel the chill of the air underneath her patient's gown. However the most wonderful part of all was the smell of cooking meat. She slowly started to walk in the direction of the scent, stubbing her toes on more than one stone. Eventually she reached a fence.  
And I was so close too! It figures that they'd set this place up to make things difficult!  
She grabbed onto the fence and slowly walked along it. After a short walk she found that it bent back the way she had came. She followed that bend until she came to another one, which headed opposite the direction of the first fence.  
"Aw, crap, don't tell me this is closed in."  
  
Garron sat by the building snickering as the strange woman made a complete circuit of the yard before heading back toward the hospital.  
"Let's play frisbee with her Grrussel!" he whispered, patting his god on the back.  
Grrussel barked as his master stood up and cocked back the frisbee. He winged it over toward the woman.  
"Hey lady! Catch!"  
Grrussel sprinted after the frisbee as it flew straight toward the woman. She turned at his voice and just stared vacantly as the frisbee bounced right off her forehead, knocking her flat on her back. Grrussel wasted no time in smothering the fallen Ctarl Ctarl in dog kisses while she just laid there in shock.  
Garron let out a low whistle, "Guess she's never played before."  
  
"Have you seen a silver-haired girl walk by here!?" Olviana asked the fellow operating the security camera.  
He scratched his head, "She went out the back door. I thought she wanted some fresh air so I didn't stop her. Did I do something wrong?"  
Olviana grimaced, "The door downstairs?"  
"There's only one back door!" he laughed good-naturedly.  
Thanking the man she spun and headed to the door. Hopefully she hadn't gotten too far, especially outside.  
  
Garron crouched over the woman as Grrussel finally stopped his impromptu drowning attempt. He placed a hand on her forehead.  
"Are you sick or something? You don't have a fever?"  
"Am I dead?"  
Garron removed his hand, "That's a silly question."  
"I just thought that it was a bullet that hit me..."  
"I'm the best thrower in the whole solar system!" Garron declared, drawing himself up proudly.  
Aisha rubbed her sore forehead, "I don't disagree."  
The boy stuck out his hand, offering her help up. She started to rise on her own so he just took it back. He didn't care if she didn't want to show appreciation for his graciousness. Well, maybe just a little.  
"Could you tell me where I am?"  
"Outside, of course!"  
"I guessed that much. Is there anything around here to eat?" Aisha asked eagerly.  
"Sorry, but the food is all kept inside the hospital."  
Aisha's ears dropped, "That's what I was afraid of."  
Grrussel nuzzled her hand, demanding immediate attention.  
"Who are you?" she asked the furry ball of hyperactivity.  
"That's Grrussel, I'm Garron."  
"Grrussel?"  
The dog tackled her when she said his name. Again Garron stuck out his hand to help her up and yet again she got up on her own. An unexplainable anger filled him as he viciously pushed her back to the ground.  
"Fine! If you don't want my help then you can just find someone else to answer your questions!" He shouted before running off with his dog and frisbee.  
"Wha-What was that for?" Aisha stuttered as the boy's footsteps faded away.  
  
Garron ran past his mother with Grrussel flopping along behind him, ignoring her calls. She sighed before continuing out the door.  
"Oh no! Are you alright, dear?" Olviana gasped as she ran over to the downed Ctarl Ctarl.  
Aisha slowly sat up, "I'm ok."  
Olviana put one of the woman's arms around her neck and started to walk back to the hospital.  
"Who was that kid?"  
"Garron? He's my son. He normally hangs out around here."  
"Does he not like strangers?"  
Olviana frowned, "No, but he does give them trouble if he's been hanging out with old man MacDougall down at the pub."  
Aisha missed a step and her eyes widened, "Ron MacDougall!?"  
"Jonas MacDougall. Who's Ron MacDougall? A friend of yours?"  
"No, he's no friend of mine..." she sighed.  
As they continued on Aisha fell into her own thoughts and didn't say anything else. Olviana helped her back into bed before closing the door and leaving once more. Aisha didn't notice the plate of food sitting right beside her bed as she sorted out her current situation.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
End of Part 2...  
  
Heh, I hope this is good, because I really liked writing this part of the story. I apologize for the lack of action, and believe me there will be plenty more in the upcoming parts. Once again I'd love any reviews you'd be willing to give, and especially if you'd tell me which part you liked better and why so far. I really need to polish my writing more and I can only accomplish that through constructive criticism.  



	3. The Discarded

Yowza! Already on to part 3!  
  
Part 3: The Discarded  
  
Humanity strides deeper into the unknown sections of the universe to encourage peace, trade, and good will with alien races. Despite this benevolent front, they have also left piles of dead in their wake as they continue on, oblivious to those that have fallen to the olive branch it extends to them.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"She's coming along nicely! I'd wager you'll be 100% in the next couple days or so." Doctor Hollontop said, beaming a smile at Aisha.  
She stared back blankly.  
The doctor's smile faltered, "Is something wrong?"  
"I can't wait that long! I have to go now!"  
"I'm afraid that's out of the question. You'd be unable to even fend for yourself if we let you out."  
Aisha slammed a fist to her chest, "None would dare mess with Aisha Clan-Clan!"  
"Aisha..." Olviana called.  
She turned at her name.  
"Catch!" Olviana tossed a small ball to her.  
Ha! No problem at all!  
She reached up where the ball was coming and waited expectantly. It whizzed by about two feet to the left.  
"As you can see you have absolutely no depth perception at the moment."  
She waved it off, "I don't need it! I'll just get someone to take me!"  
"That's... not a good idea." the doctor sighed.  
"Why not!?"  
"Half of the people in this town are too afraid to even come near you! The other half... well you don't want them to take an interest."  
"Why? They're perverts?"  
Olviana hid her giggle behind her hand as the doctor stammered on, "N-no! They think you're a demon!"  
"What makes you think something like that?"  
  
I have to get back to Lady Aisha! Where the hell did they take her!?  
Darius leaped from rooftop to rooftop, searching the street and windows for sign of her. He had learned a while ago to keep to the rooftops, and only to search at night after a walker noticed him and raised another mob.  
What do these people have against the Ctarl Ctarl anyway?  
The next leap brought him back to the area the pod had crashed in. A quick survey showed him that the pod was no longer there. As he thought back upon it, he hadn't really seen all that many ships in this city. He shrugged it off and continued with his search. Probably just some poor area...  
"...sneak in and finish it."  
He stopped fast and crouched low. The voice was coming from the next rooftop.  
"I'll be glad to finally rid our world of that menace!" the speaker sighed, "Did these guys really need all that much money though? It's not like it's a difficult job to kill one young woman."  
"They're professionals. They know what they have to do, and know how to do it right."  
"Still... it was an awfully large amount."  
"Can you put a price on the safety of the human race? If that monster were to reproduce, or escape then we would have a definite problem on our hands!"  
"You know I don't mean that!"  
"Good. You send a deposit to that account they designated. I'll give them the signal."  
This has to be Aisha! I knew she was still alive! Damn, why didn't that guy say where or when this is taking place... I guess I just have to follow him until he leads me right to her.  
There was the sound of retreating footsteps and then he was the lone person on the roof again. He scampered to the edge and looked down to the street. Both of the men had taken off in different directions down the broad avenue.  
Damn! Which one was going to give the signal?  
Without much choice in the matter, he followed after the one headed back where he had came from.  
  
"He's agreed to your plan. Please be sure that this works out the way we've discussed, there are to be no concerns raised about the cause of death."  
The woman's voice laughed lightly, "No one has ever caught me before. I'm not going to fail you in this task."  
"Good, because we paid big bucks for this!"  
"It will be done to your satisfaction at the very least."  
The man grunted, "Not a very good comment to raise our trust in your ability."  
Her eyes turned hard and she glared at the man, "You haven't told anyone who I am. For all I care I could just rip you apart and leave you in her room. That would definitely incite the citizens into doing something drastic to her. No one would ever suspect anything was amiss."  
He held up his hands in submission, "Alright! I trust you'll accomplish it!"  
She smirked darkly, "Don't worry. I won't even need to bring in my partner."  
  
A smoke-filled dive. Just like the one from that time long ago. He smiled a little as he thought about those distant memories. It truly did still feel invigorating to be able to live for himself once more, instead of serving as some meaningless assassin. It felt good to finally have a choice in whether he had to kill or not.  
"Your drink, sir." The waitress purred, setting down a bottle of rum and a glass.  
He smiled at her and she left. The alcohol tasted good after his long abstinence, and it helped to relax his tension. After all this time he had very nearly lost this new life through a chance encounter. It's true that he did look different from that day, but of course he couldn't be certain that he had changed that much.  
"How horribly unlucky can I be..." He grumbled in his thunderous voice.  
A heavyset man brushed past his shoulder, gasping for breath.  
"A monster! I saw a monster!"  
The frantic call caused a dead silence in the room, as all eyes averted to the doorway.  
"Huh, a Ctarl Ctarl." The man mused, taking another sip of his rum.  
The Ctarl roared, causing shrieks of alarm to rise up from the silence, "You fool! Why don't you just tell me where she is!?!"  
Whispers sprang up as everyone looked toward the addressed. It was the same man that had bumped into him on his way into the pub. He pushed back his chair and stood up slowly. He turned to the beast man who was nearly foaming at the mouth in rage.  
"I don't care what your personal argument is, but I do care that you're ruining my peace."  
Everyone turned to him in awe, like sheep looking upon the farmer that wards off the wolves.  
"This doesn't concern you at all, terran!" The raging animal growled, pointing a sharp clawed finger at him.  
"The name is Leilong, but you can call me Shimi. It'd be in your best interest to leave, now."  
  
"Your appetite sure is... healthy... Ms. Aisha." Olviana declared as she watched the other woman throw back a whole side of beef.  
"I'm just getting started!" Aisha mumbled through a mouthful of food.  
Olviana busied herself by setting up a new bag for the I.V while the dishes continued to pile up.  
"The washer is going to demand a raise after this..." she mumbled as she untangled part of the plastic tubing.  
"Do I even need that thing anymore? I feel fine!"  
"Doctor Hollontop said that until you were 100% we would have to give you a steady supply. You do want to get going soon don't you."  
Aisha nodded enthusiastically, before finishing a large glass of milk. Olviana finished the set-up while the seated Ctarl Ctarl finished her meal. When they were both done she wished Aisha a good night before heading out the door with the large mound of dishes. Eventually the sound of her footsteps faded away.  
"How long have I been here." Aisha muttered as she carefully tried to count the days. It had been at least four days since she had woken up on this planet, but how long was she out after that fight. No one could tell her anything about that.  
"Why did I end up on this planet anyway? Where's the ship and crew? Did they bring me here then go hold up somewhere else? Why didn't they visit me?"  
She let out a frustrated huff. Why was she even asking these questions of herself? She put her arms behind her head and started to fall asleep.  
  
Leilong swung his falchion in a downward hack, which Darius nimbly leaped away from before charging him. The relatively short time that he had spent as an Outlaw had certainly not tarnished his well honed battle prowess, for he dropped his shoulder into the Ctarl Ctarl's chest, knocking him back a step.  
"I would never have thought a Ctarl Ctarl would come to this planet, let alone try to cause trouble on it."  
Darius bared his teeth, "I'm not the one causing trouble here!"  
"Well then, who is? You're the only one I see terrorizing the people of this planet."  
The outlaw reversed his grip on the sword and jabbed hard toward his opponent's stomach, causing him to fall back on his heels. He followed it up with a quick jab to the face that sent him reeling.  
"I don't have time for this! I could already be too late!" Darius roared to the sky as the combatants broke apart again.  
Leilong held his blade at the ready, "I won't let you have this girl you've been talking about. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I let you kill her."  
"Kill her? Why would I kill one of my own race?"  
Leilong raised an eyebrow, "In that case I can see why you may have business with her. But why do you bother this man?"  
Darius stood straight up, "Because he knows where she is, obviously. Even for a human you're dense."  
He let the insult slid by and put away his sword. There was more to this than he had thought at first.  
"Why are you in such a hurry to find her?"  
The Ctarl growled impatiently before he answered, "I don't have time to tell you the whole story, I just need to get there quick! It's a matter of life and death!"  
"If you can't tell me then I can't let you go alone. For all I know these are all hollow words." Leilong walked up and jabbed a finger in Darius' chest, "I'm gonna go with you to make sure you aren't lying."  
Darius looked down at the finger with a sneer, "I don't care! I just need to know where she is!"  
"You've already made that comment abundantly clear." the outlaw muttered to himself, "We just have a small problem..."  
"What?"  
"He's gone."  
A healthy stream of curses filled the air as Darius dashed around hunting for the man. He eventually gave up and stalked back.  
"Damn it! Now how will I find Lady Aisha!?"  
Leilong stiffened at the name, but he answered, "I happened to see a Ctarl Ctarl woman this week downtown. We can check around there for her."  
Even as he said it his mind screamed at him not too. Honor demanded that he follow through with the ultimatum he had delivered to the Ctarl, but at the cost of his new life... His thoughts clicked together at that instant. It was worth a try.  
  
"Colin, what are you babbling about?" Jafrin muttered as the fat man finished his story.  
"I just saw the other monster! He followed me to the pub on Pethra Street."  
Jafrin slammed his hands onto his desk as he leaned forward, "Did he follow you here!?!"  
Colin shook his head, "No, some guy named Shimi distracted him long enough for me to escape."  
"So what do you suggest we do?"  
"I'm afraid this one may interrupt our plans. He demanded to know where the girl was, but I managed to slip out without him learning where the hospital was. But there's no way to stop him from asking the next civilian he comes across. He's probably already killed Shimi and is on his way."  
"So what exactly do you suggest we do?" Jafrin reiterated, "If the plan is truly being carried out he'll be too late regardless of how fast he gets there."  
"You can't be certain! You were never told how the job would be carried out so you don't know just how long it'll take for it to be finished." Colin argued heatedly.  
"This takes me back to my question, what do you sug..."  
"Get the Discarded on the job. It's expensive, but it'll be worth it to take care of both of them." Colin interjected.  
Jafrin hid his smile behind his hand as he put it on his chin. He shot a pensive look at Colin.  
"You do know what you're saying, don't you? Are you sure you want to pay for them on top of what you paid for the job already?"  
"It'll be worth it."  
Jafrin nodded, dropping the smile as he removed his hand, "I'll get them immediately. You just have that money ready for me when I get back."  
As the door shut behind the departing Colin, Jafrin let out a quiet laugh. This was going to be an easy job for him and the Discarded. He reached for the watch on his wrist and pressed a series of buttons.  
"Slade. Get Forge, Kurshine, and yourself down to the Healing Touch hospital. We've got a job to take care of."  
Slade's raspy voice answered him immediately, "Leave it to me..."  
  
"We have to hurry!" Darius hissed, for about the fifteenth time in half as many minutes.  
Leilong ignored him as he adjusted the mask over his face and slowly stalked around the fencing. There was something definitely wrong with it, but he just couldn't place his finger on it. He looked at the rocks by the fence, but none of them were giving off the telltale sparks of electricity.  
"What are you waiting for, Terran?"  
Again he ignored his impatient compatriot and picked up a fairly large piece of stone. He heaved it directly at the fence and watched as it adhered to the surface.  
"We can't get in this way... I've never seen a trap like this but it is definitely too dangerous to interfere with."  
"What do you suggest we do?"  
Leilong scratched his covered chin before answering, "We'll just have to make our own entrance  
Darius looked puzzled, but followed the outlaw over to the side of the building where Leilong slammed his fists into the wall. His hands grew white, then a tremor knocked the wall inward. The pieces quietly settled to the ground.  
"How did you do that?" the Ctarl inquired.  
"Constructive use of a light shield."  
Entering quickly, they made certain that the way was clear. A stairwell greeted them, which they sprinted up, quietly opening the doors along the way. They were all empty except for one old man who just stared vacantly up at his ceiling.  
"Where is she?" Darius mouthed.  
"How the hell should I know?"  
  
"Yes! I'll have three pounds of that chowder! Could I also get a side of those ribs? No, two sides!" Aisha called as she wolfed down the salmon cakes on her plate.  
The waiter placed the dishes on her table as quickly as she ordered them, making sure that he kept a constant supply of tea, milk, and saki ready at hand.  
Aisha picked up a cake and prepared to devour it when the waiter put his hand over her face. As she looked, the waiter slowly turned into a man in a black mask. He had his hand clamped firmly over her mouth. She blinked the sleep out of her eyes as she came completely awake.  
She knocked the hand away as she growled, "Who are you? What's the big idea?"  
"Aisha!"  
"Myeow?" she yelped as she turned to the other face, "Darius?"  
He grabbed her waist and lifted her up out of the bed, setting her feet on the ground gently.  
"We have to get out of here my Lady. Someone has plotted to kill you!"  
"Nya?"  
The masked man interceded, "We don't have time for this. Please get dressed quickly so we can get out of here."  
Darius looked at her, "That gown looks ridiculous on you." he muttered under his breath.  
Aisha's ears burned at the comment, "I'm so sorry it doesn't pass reach your standards."  
"We don't have time." The masked man said again.  
Before Aisha could respond he had walked out the door, motioning Darius to follow. Darius' hair rose at the unspoken order he had been given, but he followed, closing the door behind him.  
"What is going on?" she muttered to herself as she pulled up her pants, tossing the hospital issued ones aside.  
Carefully, she plucked the I.V from her arm and dropped it on the ground. Adjusting the pants to a comfortable fit she looked in the mirror. Pleased with that she pulled on her shoes and rewound her cloth wraps back around her legs. She tossed the gown to the bed and pulled on the top part of her uniform, adjusting the chest guard carefully.  
"At least they didn't unbraid my hair." she laughed as she finished dressing.  
She walked over toward the door, and grabbed the knob. She started to open it before her heart fluttered. Immediately she felt her knees turn to water and her stomach clench. She fell forward, slamming her head on the door hard. She quickly clapped a hand to her mouth as her stomach started to heave.  
"Wha-what is this?" she choked out before her stomach heaved again.  
She felt herself being lifted up again and looked into the face of Darius.  
"What's wrong Lady Aisha?"  
The masked man looked at the palm that she had coughed into with a scowl. He held it out for everyone to see the blood in it.  
"She's been poisoned, quickly lift her back into that bed! Aisha, when was the last time you ate?"  
She looked at the clock, "About fo-Urk!" she clapped her hand to her mouth again, "f-four hours."  
"Poisoned? How can you be so sure?" Darius growled as he put her back on the bed.  
He looked toward the raging Ctarl, "Because her blood is already thinned." then returned his attention to her, "Four hours? Then it couldn't have been then... Have you had any shots since then? Did anyone claim they were giving you antibiotics or pain suppressants? Anything at all?"  
She shook her head, a hand clapped firmly over her mouth. The man swore and looked around for anything out of the ordinary. His eyes settled on the I.V. He took a dagger out of its sheath and cut the bag. He smelled it and even tasted a little before spitting it out.  
"Nothing..." he mumbled before grabbing the needle. It had a small valve on it to regulate the flow of the liquid.  
"Crafty bastards..." he laughed as he smashed the plastic holding the needle.  
Darius looked at the broken device as he smashed it again, breaking off a larger chunk of the hardened covering. He gave a cry of victory as he emptied out what appeared to be wet powder. He lifted the bottom of his mask and put a small amount on his tongue before spitting it out.  
"Crafty, but cocky. This is just dried cobra venom."  
He broke the lock off of a medical cabinet and rifled through the contents before he found what he was looking for. He brought out a bottle of anti-toxin and filled a large syringe with that.  
Aisha looked on nervously, "That's a bit big isn't it?"  
"How much do you want to live?"  
She shrugged, "I definitely don't-ack!-don't want to die now..."  
"Good. This is probably going to hurt." Pulling her chest guard down a little, he jammed the needle directly into her heart.  
Darius leaped on him almost immediately, "What are you trying to do!?!"  
"Cobra venom is a neural toxin. It was too far along to treat with a shot to the arm. If you prefer her heart stopping I can always remove the needle."  
Aisha was lying on the floor in shock. She had never been pierced in the chest before and it hurt like hell!  
"I... shoulda used... my beast strength...." she uttered.  
The masked man shoved Darius off of him and went over to Aisha, "No, I would never have been able to give you an injection in that state. Just stay calm, it's almost over."  
He slowly injected the anti-toxin as the female's eyes squeezed shut, tears of pain leaking out of them. As he finished he quickly removed the needle and grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol. Soon he had the area bandaged and sterile. The effects were quick as her heart slowed down to near normal levels in a few minutes. Her stomach was still iron, however.  
"Come here a second..." Aisha muttered, motioning him forward with a finger.  
He bent down low, more than expecting her to attempt some type of reprisal. Surprisingly she just patted him on the cheek.  
"You're pretty competent for a terran."  
He blinked at the unexpected compliment. This gave Aisha an opening to smack him across the face, knocking off the mask.  
"But you did stab me after all!" she roared.  
Leilong looked directly at her. She must know who he was now... But she had already looked at him without a glitter of recognition in her eyes. He breathed a calming sigh of relief and rubbed the sore red mark left on his cheek.  
"Thank you, I guess."  
"Could this possibly be the only attempt they had planned?" Darius inquired, scratching his head.  
Leilong shrugged, "I'm not sure, but if we plan on leaving, now would be a good time to get going."  
The two Ctarl Ctarl nodded their agreement and Darius helped up Aisha. She was a little unsteady, but didn't need help to move herself. Apparently the anti-toxin was already working well. Leaving the two to any last minute preparations, Leilong headed out to scout the surrounding grounds. As he reached the stairwell he listened for the sound of anyone moving up them. When he heard nothing he continued on down, one careful step at a time, until he reached the bottom of the well where he had first blasted in.  
"Maybe that was all they had planned." he murmured to himself.  
He carefully checked for any signs of entry before he continued on to the lawn outside. It too was clear, but he felt something wrong. It was an intense hatred from some unseen individual, so intense that it seemed tangible. He growled at his own dumb mistake as he realized he no longer had on his mask. Whoever was out here would see him and know that he had helped the escape of the two 'monsters'.  
  
"Darius, why did that man have a mask?"  
He shrugged as he thought it over, "He must've had a good reason for it, but he never shared it with me. Maybe he was using it for stealth?"  
Aisha shrugged it off as unimportant. Humans were all the same to her anyway. All of them, that is, except for the other crewmembers of the Outlaw Star. That man could do whatever he pleased for all she cared. Finally, she was sure that all of her things were safely packed away and started for the door.  
"Wait!" Darius hissed as he grabbed her hand before it could touch the knob.  
She looked at him angrily. No one was explaining anything to her and it was starting to grate on her nerves. As she was directing her glare a sound finally echoed in her ears.  
"Sounds like a fuse." she whispered.  
Darius sprang into action, kicking open the door and looking around. A small explosive was right by the entrance and it was seconds from detonating. With a quick stomp he doused the fire.  
"Why don't you just come out, you coward?" he roared down the dark hallways.  
  
"Why don't you just come out?" Leilong shouted into the dark solitude of the night.  
A rustle on his right sent him into a headlong dive forward, barely avoiding a sword swinging by overhead. He came to his feet with his own sword in hand, quickly blocking a downward strike from his opponent, a sallow man in a monk's brown robes.  
"You blocked that rather skillfully, old man. But none can stand against my Bleeding Moon style!" his opponent laughed in a deep voice.  
Leilong wasted no time for talk as he charged his boastful opponent. His age had little effect on his fighting style, despite the beliefs of many other dead men. He delivered a cross-body slash with his right hand, but before completing the maneuver he reversed his grip on the sword and brought it straight ahead toward the man's heart. His surprisingly nimble opponent danced out of harm's way, still laughing.  
"You are good, old man... but you can tell the devil that Kurshine has sent down another one!"  
Kurshine swung his sword swiftly, causing a blur of metal to appear before him, rotating it from his left to right hand. He finally flickered forward with a sharp series of stabs. Leilong sidestepped each one and jammed his sword right into the man's chest. Kurshine's mouth dropped open in shock at the foot speed displayed in the avoidance of his attack, and his eyes dropped down to the steel in his torso.  
"Names are for tombstones." Leilong whispered in his ear before shoving him off the blade's tip.  
An unnoticed shadow darted off at the end of the fight.  
  
The clatter of metal caused his ears to perk up and Darius turned to see a man barrel down the hallway into him. They collided and the rush carried them both into the wall, cracking the plaster. The Ctarl slammed his knee into his opponent's face, sending him reeling back. He leaped out from the wall to attack, but the attacker had recovered and delivered a punch to his chest. He could feel that this fellow was wearing brass knuckles.  
Aisha staggered into the hallway, "What's happening?"  
Her gaze settled on a leather-garbed man with short blond hair. His mouth had a metal plate sealing it shut. He turned toward her and slammed his knuckles together, causing sparks to fly.  
She dropped into a crouch ready to fight, "So you want to take me on?"  
Before anything could come of it, Darius grabbed the man's head, slamming it into the wall they had ran into earlier. He then threw the unconscious fellow to the floor.  
"If that's all, let's get out of here." he said, walking over toward her.  
"Oh, it's not quite over yet my friend."  
Aisha turned around as the voice came over her shoulder. It was a bearded man with a large grin on his face.  
"Get out of my way you animal!" he shouted at her, slamming the door into her face.  
Aisha staggered back but kept her footing. With a roar of outrage her companion leaped forward, ready to tear out the man's throat. He never quite got there as a fist crashed into his temple, causing a loud crack. Darius fell to the floor motionless.  
"I guess the stories that you things can't be killed is very false!" he laughed at the fallen Darius.  
"You bastard!" Aisha screamed, starting toward the man. She fell to her knees, grabbing her mouth as her stomach heaved. The venom hadn't been completely neutralized yet.  
When her sickness subsided she looked up into the face of the man standing in front of her. He pulled back for a punch, but missed as the lithe Ctarl Ctarl rolled out of the way, kicking out the back of his knees. He rose quickly however and tried to grab her skull. She grabbed his hand before he could, holding it back with all her might. He tried to punch her again but she managed to dodge, before locking her other hand to his.  
"You have no chance against me, kitten. My strength is undeniable!" he howled madly.  
Aisha felt inclined to believe him as, despite her attempts to hold apart his hands, they were slowly pushing inward, bending her elbows as they reached for her head. She felt her heart pounding from the exertion and fresh blood starting to come from the wound in her chest. With teeth gritted she kept pushing, hoping to stop the closing hands.  
"How... is this possible?" She gasped as sweat started to trickle down her face, "You're only human..."  
He laughed at the comment. "A human has the power of itself and technology. It can crush pitiful weaklings like you!"  
She prayed to the gods of the Ctarl Ctarl for strength, but she could feel her muscles nearly tearing from the strain. The hands were almost touching the sides of her face, and when they did, she would be finished. She could feel the blood continuing to flow out her wound and start to trickle down between her breasts. If this didn't end soon she would die of blood loss. She looked down for any signs of inspiration, and her eyes finally settled on Darius' form. She drew every bit of rage she could from her soul at the sight, until her mind burned. With a roar of anger she pulled hard on her opponents arms, the wrenching sound of torn metal filled the corridor as they both tore off.  
The man's mouth opened in surprise, "How can this be!? I was winning! I was winning! Slade! Help me!"  
No one came to the man's call and Aisha slumped to the ground in exhaustion. The man looked to her before bolting down the corridor to the stairs. The slapping of his feet on the stairs faded away as Aisha still sat, breathing hard from the battle. She put a hand to her wound, pushing the bandage tight to halt the flow of blood.  
"Where's that man now?" she gasped.  
  
"Pagawa sumfa, pagawa sumfa, pagawa sumfa..." Slade muttered, deep in concentration.  
Leilong prepared his light shield as the Taoist continued his chanting. He also drew a caster gun from his backpack, loading it with a five.  
"Slade! We're getting out of here!"  
Slade turned his head, his concentration broken, toward the yelling man. He appeared to have no arms from this angle of sight. As Slade started to answer, Leilong pulled the trigger, blasting the man before he could turn. As the explosion subsided, he noted with grim satisfaction that the man was dead. He quickly turned and sprinted back into the building. He jumped up the stairs two at a time and nearly tripped when he came to a dark clothed body in the hall. Looking past it he saw Aisha, breathing hard with blood flowing steadily from her chest, and Darius lying silent on the floor. Darius was beyond his helping so he came to Aisha as quickly as he could.  
"You've lost a lot of blood..." he muttered dishearteningly.  
Her eyes widened and she pointed behind him. With a quick movement he swung his gun to rest on his shoulder and fired twice. The man that had been faking unconsciousness fell dead. Ignoring the event, Leilong ran back into the room where he had found Aisha, and grabbed as much cotton and bandages as he could find. He tore off her old bandage and wiped up the blood with the cotton, as she still breathed hard. Finally when it was relatively clean, he wrapped the bandage tightly around, making certain it had a good enough tension to keep effective pressure on the hole.  
"Th..." she tried to say, but he quieted her.  
With a quick look around the room he made certain that he had everything he would need before lifting her onto his back.  
"Forgive me, but we'll have to leave him here." he apologized, "For what it's worth, I'm sure he'd be glad that you'll live."  
He paid his final respects to the dead that had fallen that night, before heading out toward the planet's spaceport. He had to take off before people awoke to the carnage.  
  
Jafrin was beside himself with rage as he heard the news that the rest of his band hadn't survived the debacle the night before. But the anger was even greater when he realized that Olviana had skipped town with her son and the money she had accepted for the job of killing the girl. All in all it had been a bad excursion for him and he howled to the sun for vengeance. It took several of the space forces crack agents to finally drag him from his home to the hospital for mental illness, despite his lack of arms.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
End of Part 3...  
  
So how did everyone like that part? I hope you all enjoyed it and it had some degree of surprise for you! But anyone of you who loved it/hated it/didn't read it, any reviews would be good to hear! The fourth part should be up fairly soon!  



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